Your Mom and I did not go down to the UW Badger game last Saturday. We wimped out. It was tolerable weather with 30 degree temperatures, clear skies and windy. Instead we sold the tickets to friends. In hindsight, there are no regrets. The game was over by the end of the first quarter. Badgers are Big 10 Champions and headed for the Rose Bowl. Anyone who attended a Badger game during the season witnessed a championship team. Special. The best part is that I have $200 cash from payment for the seats.
I also have a weekly ritual. On Sunday mornings, I wander down to the "Pipes and Pages" newspaper stand on College Ave. and pick up my favorite Barron's magazine. It costs $5 per week plus tax. By my calculation, I spend $273 per year. Several weeks ago I got a solicitation to subscribe to Barron's through the mail at the "professional rate" of $52 per year. I have resisted the invitation in the past because I didn't want to change my Sunday routine and I wasn't sure when my subscription would arrive by mail. Even I can take a risk. I subscribed. My magazine arrived on Monday (versus Sunday which is okay). My savings of $221 per year is now taking place. Again I have more cash in my pocket.
So in less than a week I picked up $200 for football tickets and $221 in savings for an annual subscription to Barron's. Life is good.
Yesterday I got a notice from the University of Wisconsin-Madison that my football ticket program was going up $200 next year. Oops there goes part of my cash savings. How can they do that? We are in a recession.
The lesson Grasshoppers is that managing finances is an ongoing process. The one part of your life you can control is your cash expenditures. You can not control outside forces like ticket prices going up. Use cash wisely.
Love,
Dad
I found out yesterday that I have been deceived for most of my married years. How could I have missed the deception.
My mother made the best turkey dressing in the world. Her formula for success was a based on an old German recipe with lots or extra meat. It had the standard giblets, celery, onions and hamburger. It met my standard of excellence.
Then when I met your Mom, she introduced me to "Nana's" German dressing. It was really good but Nana introduced apple chunks to moisten things. I liked the taste but occasionally I would bite in to a slice of apple. Yuk. So I offered my expert opinion! Apples spoiled the dressing.
For years and years I have been praising your Mom's dressing. It was similar to my mother's recipe and of course, it had no apples.
Guess what! I found out that apples have been in my dressing forever. Apples were just disguised by being cut into extremely small pieces, smashed into a pulp or ground up in a blender. That way I wouldn't notice the chunks of apple. The theory was that I wouldn't know the difference.
The deception was carried on by Grasshopper No.1 and Grasshopper No.4. They knew that apple was in the dressing and they also chose to keep the secret from me.
Imagine my shock. The people I trusted most in my life had decided that "what I don't know won't hurt me". Quietly they laughed.
All I can say is that I do have a sense of humor. Ha-ha-ha-ha! I also have a sense of retribution meaning what "goes around, comes around". The people who perpetrated this dastardly deception need to keep looking over their shoulder. I will get the last laugh.
That being said, Grasshopper No.1's Thanksgiving day dinner was scrumptious. Her dressing (which had some apple chunks because she was too tired to disguise them) was excellent. Could it be possible I've become accustomed to apples? Say it isn't so. Even with the apple chunks in the dressing, Grasshopper No.1 remains my favorite.
Thanksgiving yesterday in Sheboygan was very nice. As far as I know, there were no fights which are common at family get-togethers. Thank you No.1 (and the love of her life).
Black Friday today. Crazy people shop for things they don't need but can't pass up the attactive prices.
Love,
Dad
I have decided that I want to join the current trend of having a day named after me. We could call it the "Ace Wisdom Day". I have noticed that there is no end to national days of celebration. We have such days as President's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Valentines Day, Ground Hog day, Sweetest Day, and Green Earth day. We are running out of days.
So on my special day, the world would celebrate my accomplishments. Like the Seinfeld sitcom, I admit that I don't have any accomplishments. I just got up everyday, lived my life as a kid, student, husband, father, philosopher and retiree.
Newspapers, television and radio would flood the world with stories of my contributions to mankind. I can't think of any contributions but give me some time to think about it.
The government would get the day off. They always get the day off with pay for days of special occasion.
The Postal Service would get the day off because they follow government celebration. With pay of course.
I would get an "advance" financial payment to write a book about my life about nothing. I figure with such national acclaim, the initial payment would be $10 million. If the book sells well I would write a sequel. I think I'd make the sequel a romance novel.
I would share my success with my family. Without the stellar support of my wife, kids and friends, I wouldn't be what I am today: nothing! After all, my national day is not about me but the people who have elevated me to the status of "nothing".
I am proclaiming my national day before all 365 days get used up by other useless causes. It will be April 23 every year and I will try to remain humble.
If Obama tries to claim the April 23 date as his, I will invite him to have a beer with me on my backyard porch to talk over the issue. Please note I claimed the date first.
You might get the idea that I think all the special days that have been proclaimed throughout the years are stupid. You would be right of course. There are always exceptions. Veterans Day and Memorial Day would remain forever.
If you want to proclaim a day for yourself, let me know. I will help you with the application.
In the meantime you need to live a life of quiet desperation trying to survive day to day. Why should you be any different?
Have a very Happy Thanksgiving. Look around you, you have a lot to be thankful for. Even if you don't get a national day proclaimed for you, you each will always have a day that will be special to me.
Love,
Dad
I guess when the cry becomes "don't touch my junk", it is a new world.
When Bristol Palin (who seems like a sweet young girl) dances over the floor with the grace of a water buffalo and then makes it to the finals of "Dancing with the Stars" based on popularity of the family name, it is a new world.
A friend of mine went into the doctor because of an pimple on his butt. It was diagnosed as a brain tumor. I don't what nationality he is?
Grandson Grant is a freshman at Middleton High School in Madison. Tryouts were Monday to determine who would make the Freshman Squad. Grant was worried that the competition would be fierce. I asked him how tall he was. He said 6 foot 3.5 inches tall. Dah! He would make the squad. He did! Congrats. Over 45 kids were turned away. It is a big achievement. Little guys like me don't like the preferencial treatment big kids get in basketball. That is not a new world. Of course if I were tall, I'd flaunt it.
I understand daughter-in-law Jenny got a 95 on her final test for her "instructors license" as a hair stylist (I'm sure I got her profession wrong so I apologize). Now the big money! Congrats. I will get free haircuts from the "master".
Badgers need to grind out two more victories for an incredible season.
Favre, my favorite publicity hound, takes the field in Minnesota this weekend against the Packers. At last check, he had two fractures in his ankle, 10 stitches in his jaw from a viscous hit, tendonitis in his elbow and severe pain in shoulder (the same one he had operated on in the off season). As always he will start. Don't be deceived. He is always dangerous.
I think (of course I'm always the last to know) we are going to Grasshopper No.1's for Thanksgiving. She makes the best "dressing". That is why she is my favorite.
Stay warm. I actually saw a kid headed for bus stop this morning in a t-shirt. It was 31 degrees. I remember the days!
Love,
Dad
The newest energy bonanza is natural gas extracted from shale. One or two miles down in the earth is a hard shale (a crystaline rock). When the shale is cracked open, it releases natural gas that can be captured by gas wells. This is a big deal. Along the eastern mountain range of the U.S. and in southern states there is a lot of shale. Estimates are that natural gas reserves are twice the size of the largest oil reserves in Saudi Arabia.
If your home has shale below it, energy companies will pay you big money for the rights to drill on your property. It creates instant millionaires. You would have to put up with an oil (gas) rig in your back yard but hell, with millions of dollars, you could move to any place you wanted.
All good things come with potential issues. There have been areas that have allowed the drilling process to take place. To crack shale, huge amounts of chemicals under high pressure must be pumped two miles into the ground. The chemicals and pressure explode the shale releasing the gas. The released natural gas is intended to be pumped to the earth surface and shipped around the country. Some natural gas escapes on the way to the surface and has been known to find it's way into ground waters. Home owners with water wells can turn on their water faucets in their homes and light the water with a match. Yep, water burns.
So now the dilemma. You could become an instant millionaire if you allow drillers to tap shale under your home for natural gas. You would not be able to drink water from the tap in your house because it could burn. I wouldn't want to take a shower or bath in "gas" contaminated water. It would be dangerous to sit on your toilet not knowing whether it might explode (now there is a mental picture).
The gas companies are denying that their process is contaminating ground waters. Yeah, and I believe in the Easter bunny and the Tooth Fairy.
The question is, "if somebody offered you millions of dollars to drill for gas on your property and risk bad water for the rest of your life, would you sell drilling rights"?
It sounds to me like this new gas drilling process isn't all it is cracked up to be.
There is a big Badger football game this weekend. Wisconsin travels to Michigan. Michigan is a dangerous team because they have a "darting rabbit" for a quarterback. He is tough to contain in the "pocket" and he can hurt the Badgers by running as well as passing. Micheal Vick for the Philadelphia Eagles destroyed Washington last night. Vick is a "darting rabbit". UW is prime to get surprised by Michigan. Let Michigan surprise someone else.
Thanksgiving just over 1 week away.
Stay warm.
Love,
Dad
When I was a kid, my mom would buy canned Spam. She would slice it into patties, fry it in a pan and serve it on a bread. It tasted like a ham sandwich. I liked it. I guess you could call it "the poor man's ham".
The Carnival Cruise Ship that blew out it's engine off the coast of Southern California lost all refrigeration and food spoiled very rapidly. It took 3 days to push 4500 customers back to San Diego. The Navy flew in Spam and Pop Tarts. The news media makes that sound like bad thing. I ask you, what is wrong with Spam. The 3 days became the poor man's festival. Spam, Pop Tarts and all the liquor you could drink. Sounds like Heaven to me. Toilets not working is another story.
The Holiday season is approaching. While it is a time to celebrate, it produces a lot of anxiety. It causes people to get their undies in a bunch. My advice? Keep it simple, minimize spending and share "yourself". Beyond religious significance, people sharing time is what it is all about.
Minneapolis is under a snow storm watch this weekend. The prediction is that they could experience 4-8 inches of snow. That means that we soon will get the same "sh--!
The main components of Grasshopper No.1's kitchen are completed. I should have known because Menards and Kohler announced record earnings. Must be nice.
If the UW Badgers win this weekend, they will have two remaining conference games. They travel to Michigan on Nov.20. If they could "get by" the Michigan game, they will be at home for the final game of year against Northwestern. That would be for the Big 10 championship. I would face the dilemma of using our tickets to endure potentially lousy weather to see a historic game or sell the tickets. I guess I'll have to see how it plays out. There are a lot of "ifs" in the championship scenerio.
Stay warm,
Love,
Dad
I had a call from Grandson Collin last week. He must be running out of airplanes to fix if he calls his Grandpa. He told me that he was going to a big party this weekend to celebrate the birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps. It starts on Friday night and I am not sure how long it lasts. Probably all weekend. Coincidently this morning I was exercising with my retired Marine Corp. buddy and he mentioned the official birth date of the Marine Corp. is Nov.10, 1775. That is one year before the birth of out nation (1776). That makes the Corp. 235 years old. So now, Collin"s conversation about the "big" upcoming weekend has more meaning. It sounds like trouble to me.
There are some things in life that you can't make up. Our U.S. Congress has hired "grief counselors" to help our departing losing legislators (and their staffs) deal with losing their jobs. Give me a break. Who counsels our neighbors when they lose their jobs? Who counsels people who exhaust their 99 weeks of un-employment? Who counsels families that lose their home? Who is going to counsel me because I did not get a cost-of-living increase in my Social Security benefit? Unbelieveable!
We are well into the month of November. It has an indelible mark on my brain. Tomorrow (Nov.10) marks 53 years since my Dad died. Saturday, Nov.13, marks 52 years since my Grandma Helen died. Nov.22 will mark the date your Mom and I moved to Appleton in 1985 (25 years ago). It is the longest we've lived in one place. Who would have guessed? Next week will be 8 years that we have lived in our present home.
Under the category of "freaky". A contestant on the Wheel of Fortune gameshow had the chance to solve a "phrase" puzzle after one letter. She picked an "L". The phrase was five words ("Got a feeling about it"). After the contestant guessed the phrase, she was asked how she got the answer with such few clues. Her answer was "I had a feeling about it".
My snowblower works. It has a new spark plug and fresh oil. Bring on the white stuff!
Stay warm
Love,
Dad
I was exercising this morning and a friend mentioned that they had just visited their doctor for a checkup. The doctor commented that he liked to see his patients carry a little extra weight (not fat) because they seem to weather any minor illness better. I asked the friend for the name of the doctor. I am switching to someone who likes my carrying extra weight. It was music to me ears.
I understand that the fate of the $1 billion high speed train from Milwaukee to Madison might get stopped. It had a top speed of 71 mph (so much for high speed). Europe has trains that approach 200 mph. Cancellation of the "high speed train" is symbollic of fiscal restraint. We don't need a high speed train. We don't want it. There are better ways to spend $1 billion. More music to my ears.
Randy Moss, the tall rangy pass receiver that was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings because Brett Favre wanted a "deep pass threat", is gone after 4 weeks. It is an indication that the Vikings are beginning to "listen less" to Big Brett. It was the right decision. Moss is a negative influence where ever he goes. His mouth is always flapping and nothing intelligent comes out. It also means that Brett won't be back. He is losing his magic. Awwww! Music to my ears.
UW Badgers play Purdue Saturday. They should win.
Packers play Sunday night at Lambeau against the Dallas. This is a trick game. Dallas is dangerous despite a 1-6 record. A Packer win would be "music to my ears".
Stay warm.
Love,
Dad
I got to vote this morning. In 2008, which was a Presidential election year, I was number 41 at my voting location. This year (at approximately the same time in the morning), I was number 121. Without confessing my political affiliation, I have to admit that voting this morning gave me great satisfaction. My goal this time around was to vote incumbents out (Republicans or Democrats). Let them find jobs in this lousy economy. Anything to get our government to stop spending our money. And the next time around (2012), if the new guys keep spending our money, I'll try to vote the new guys out..
I met a friend this morning and they noticed I had a "I Voted" tag on my red sweatshirt. They observed that I had a red sweatshirt, blue slacks and white tennis shoes. I was a billboard for the American way. Yep, thats me!
I have to admit I felt bad for Brett Favre on Sunday. He doesn't know when to quit and this year, at age 41, health issues are beginning to mount. He has two fractures in his ankle but he continues to hobble around. He has tendonitis in is throwing elbow, but he makes some pretty good passes. Now he has 10 stitches in his chin but he can still talk and call signals. He is going to start for Minnesota on Sunday. The next injury might be really serious as he pushes to show how tough he is. I hope that doesn't happen. His ego is killing him.
I was in charge of our "trick or treat" effort on Sunday afternoon. The number of ghosts, goblins was down a little from last year. Because we are in the suburbs, I noticed that mini-vans would pull up at one end of the street, 6-7 darlings would pile out of the van and begin going house to house. When they reached the end of the street, they jumped back into the mini-van and moved on to another street. Pretty good system.
Today I am going to try to start my snowblower. I notice that weather forecasts are beginning to include that four letter word, snow!
Don't forget to reset you clocks this weekend. Fall Back!
Love,
Dad